Can someone tell me about the "twin theory"?

Question

I would like to know more about this theory, and if you know any good websites that discuss it that would be great too! All I know is the very basics.... something about 1 of the twins traveling out of the solar system, returning to earth and in theory the twin on earth will have aged? or something like that. Id like to know more, I find it interesting. Thanks!!

Answer 1

This is right from the site referenced, which has graphics too, as well as an analysis, which I didn't paste in here.

"The twin paradox: Is the symmetry of time dilation paradoxical?

The twin paradox uses the symmetry of time dilation to produce a situation that seems paradoxical. In the introductory film clip, we saw that time was dilated when observed from frames of reference with a constant relative velocity v. There is an animation and analysis below, but let's introduce it with a cartoon.

The really strange thing about time dilation is that it is symmetrical: if you and I have relative motion, then I see your clock to be running slow, and you see mine to be running slow. (Revise time dilation.) This is just one example of the weird logic of Einstein's theory of Special Relativity. The theory is counter-intuitive, because most of us are unfamiliar with measurements made at speeds approaching c, the speed of light. Because of this, it is fun to attempt to prove that it is wrong. Surely it's possible to make a paradox out of the symmetry of time dilation? Let's see.

Jane and Joe are twins. Jane travels in a straight line at a relativistic speed v to some distant location. She then decelerates and returns. Her twin brother Joe stays at home on Earth. The situation is shown in the diagram, which is not to scale.

Joe observes that Jane's on-board clocks (including her biological one), which run at Jane's proper time, run slowly on both outbound and return leg. He therefore concludes that she will be younger than he will be when she returns. On the outward leg, Jane observes Joe's clock to run slowly, and she observes that it ticks slowly on the return run. So will Jane conclude that Joe will have aged less? And if she does, who is correct? According to the proponents of the paradox, there is a symmetry between the two observers, so, just plugging in the equations of relativity, each will predict that the other is younger. This cannot be simultaneously true for both so, if the argument is correct, relativity is wrong."

Answer 2

It has to do with Einstein's theory of relativity. The closer you get to the speed of light the more time slows down for the traveler in the space ship. So if you sent one person on a space ship at a speed near the speed of light then time would go much slower for him than for the people on earth. Heinlein wrote a book about twins who were telepathic being used in such an arrangement called Time for the Stars.

Answer 3

that sounds like an example that someone may have used to explain to you the speed of light or einstein's theory of relativity. there's not really a "twin theory." but essentially if one person were put into a spacecraft and sent out for 50 earth years going the speed of light then they would come back the same age since time is relative.

if you want to know more just look up the theory of relativity :)

cheers!

Answer 4

It is called the twin paradox, and is a result of the Special Theory of Relativity.

The special theory of relativity predicts that events observed on a spaceship moving with respect to earth will appear to occur more slowly than equivalent events on earth. This is called time dilation effect and becomes significant only at speeds close to the speed of light.

The relativity principle states that physical laws are invariant with respect to uniform relative velocity.

The foundation of Special Relativity is that the speed of light is the same for all observers, regardless of their speed with respect to the light source.

The reconciliation of these two principles results in time and space not being viewed the same way by observers moving at a relative velocity to onr another. To show how this can affect time itself, consider the following situation:

You are on a spaceship travelling away from earth at close to the speed of light. You shine a light toward the front of the ship, and note that it takes d/c seconds to get to the front, where d is the distance to the front and c is the speed of light. Now I observe you doing this from earth. I also see the light travel from you to the front of the ship. I also observe the speed of light as c. However, I see the front of the ship moving away from the light; the space ship speed is close to that of the light; as far as I'm concerned, it will take a long time (maybe days) for the beam to reach the front of the ship. Yet you, the traveler on the ship, sees the light reach the front in a very short time! Therefore, time is not the same for me and the traveller.

Thus if we observe the space ship moving over a long period we will grow older but the occupants (and all other physical processes) on the spaceship will proceed at a slower pace from our point of view. When the ship returns to earth, the occupants will be younger than we would expect them to be had they remained on earth. If your twin went on a space ship he would return younger than you.

However, from the point of view of the space traveller, he would see earth moving away from him, and relativity states that his point of view is just as valid. Since he sees you moving he can state that you will be younger than him when he returns. Obviously, they both can't be right so this paradox was used to try to discredit the Special Theory.

The paradox is resolved by the general theory which takes into account that only one of the twins has to undergo acceleration to achieve the high speed, and that is the one for which time slows down.

Answer 5

You are referring to 'The Twins Paradox" by Albert Einstein.
Below are some links that should help:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SR/TwinParadox/twin_intro.html
http://mentock.home.mindspring.com/twins.htm

Answer 6

There is no "paradox" associated with the effect. As with most paradoxes, it merely points to a limitation of the theory under consideration.

Answer 7

It's called the clock paradox. Yeah, i've heard about that from my sceince teacher. btw, I'm a twin. There is somthing to that, but it's not entirly true. There is a website i'll give you.

Answer 8

it is called "twin paradox" I believe. Search this in the internet.

Answer 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_paradox